Origin

This character combines two parts to represent an ear of grain. The left component is a picture of a grain plant standing upright, which serves as the classifier showing this character relates to crops. The right component suggests the idea of blessing or favor, likely chosen partly for its sound value. Together they create an image of a blessed or full head of grain with its characteristic protruding ear—the fertile, seed-bearing tip that farmers harvest. Over time the meaning extended to any prominent head or crest, like the peak of a wave.